Squirrels Day Nursery Corby Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff follow the setting's ethos and are committed to understanding each child and supporting them to use their unique characteristics to become enthusiastic, confident learners. This inspirational approach shines through in children's positive attitudes, energetic eagerness and ability to interact. Children start each session with a bubbling enthusiasm, competently channelling their energy to explore and play. For example, they use pipettes to mix colours, comparing the different shades and working out that primary colours can be mixed to make further colours. Children's behaviour is exceptional. They receive sensitive support to resolve any disputes.

Children quickly acquire new skills. For example, older children develop physical skills as they move in time to music. Staff challenge them further as they give each child small sticks. Children handle these carefully, allowing each other plenty of space. They follow complex instructions as they tap in time to the beat and continue to move their legs. They show their excellent understanding of positional language as they tap the sticks to the right, front and behind. Staff respect children's views and help them express these. For instance, babies point to simple props to indicate which song they would like.

Children learn about healthy lifestyles. For example, they recognise when they need to rest, settling in cosy corners and reading. Staff have an excellent understanding of the possible effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns. They offer highly pertinent support to help children play cooperatively.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Senior staff are unwavering in their ambition to offer children the very best start. Their commitment inspires staff, helping them to ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, access an innovative curriculum.
• Managers value staff, using excellent procedures to support their well-being and to aid staff in developing their practice even further. All staff have an excellent understanding of how each child prefers to learn and what they need to learn next. Their exemplary planning and effective use of additional funding ensures that all children have exciting opportunities that aid them in making exceptional progress. Remarkably robust monitoring ensures that any gaps in children's learning are swiftly noted and addressed.
• Staff build strong partnerships within the community and with other professionals. They share information, ensuring that children receive consistent, well-planned support that aids them in making the best possible progress. Managers' astute understanding of the nursery community enables them to offer highly sensitive, precisely tailored support to families. This has a positive impact on children and means they feel included, respected and valued.
• Children participate in national and local events, helping to increase their understanding of the wider world and inspiring their curiosity. They research birds and keep a record of the ones they see in the garden. They work with staff to enter this information onto a website to participate in a national birdwatch. This interest continues and staff help children to carry out a 'mini-beast safari', look at life cycles of insects, plant seeds and investigate how our activities affect our environment.
• Staff are highly aware of how children learn and offer them numerous opportunities to practise their skills. For example, younger children work with staff to sort out big and little dinosaurs. Staff check they understand this and offer children different beakers. They eagerly sort these according to size. Children then take their learning into their play, competently telling each other which is the big spoon and small saucepan as they play in an outdoor kitchen.
• Children of all ages are expertly supported in developing their communication skills. Babies use simple signs to aid their early communication, for example, signing when they need to wash their hands before eating. Two-year-old children competently describe the shapes they are making with coloured dough. Staff make excellent use of prompt cards to help children communicate. This particularly supports children who speak English as an additional language and they make swift progress in learning English.
• Children develop a love of books. They eagerly select their favourite story basket and listen intently as staff read, delighting in using the puppets and props to predict the next section or retell the story.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery. They report that communication is excellent and they are offered practical support in building on their child's learning. They value the staffs' care in getting to know the children and state, 'This is a place that understands children and loves them for themselves'.